Biba : The Biba Experience

Biba remains one of the most evocative names in British design history. Founded as a mail order business by Barbara Hulanicki in 1964, and soon expanding into its own retail premises, it pioneered a new style, mixing the contemporary with Art Nouveau, Art Deco and the golden age of Hollywood, dressing itself in the richly luxuriant colours of a bygone time. In the years up to its spectacular crash in 1975, it played a key part in making London the most fashionable city in the world. And in its final glorious incarnation in Kensington High Street, as the first new department store to open in the capital since the War, it created a potent myth that lives on even amongst many who never experienced it first hand. Biba also brought the cutting edge of couture to the masses. Brigitte Bardot, Twiggy and Yoko Ono shopped there, whilst Sonny and Cher, Mick and Bianca, and David and Angie were regular visitors, but the store was never the exclusive preserve of the rich and famous: prices were kept deliberately low, and anyone who could tolerate the disdainful inefficiency of the staff was encouraged to soak up the glamour of a unique shopping experience. Biba: The Biba Experience centres on newly commissioned photographs of the largest collection of Biba in the world, put together by Pari, who began collecting Biba in the 1980s and has accumulated just under 500 pieces of Biba fashion items and ephemera covering the entire history of the company. Everything from dresses and trouser suits through original sketches and patterns to playing cards and soap powder is represented. Pari acquired a taste for decadent style while growing up in the environment of her aunt's prestigious striptease night club in the '70s. This lavishly illustrated and beautifully produced book is intended for those interested in fashion and graphic design of the '60s and '70s, from a creative and historical standpoint, plus the huge number of people who remember Biba from the period with such affection.